Many drivers say motorcyclists are reckless. Cyclists believe motorists pay no attention to them on the road. As a result of driver inattentiveness bad accidents happen. One of the biggest fears of any motorcyclist is a car turning into the path of their bike. Because it happens so quickly, it’s almost impossible for the cyclist to respond and avoid a crash.

The USF Center for Urban Transportation Research analyzed ten years of Florida motorcycle crashes. The findings of this study were pretty clear - drivers don’t yield the right of way to motorcyclists and a major factor in collisions is distracted driving.

A driver encased in two tons of steel doesn’t give a lot of thought to the danger their car or truck poses to a motorcyclist. This is evidenced by drivers not giving cyclists enough space on the road, drifting out of a lane and cutting motorcycles off or pulling out in front of a cyclist without looking when making a left turn.

The results of the research confirmed drivers are at fault in sixty percent of crashes between cars and motorcycles. This is no comfort to those who ride. Being right doesn’t change the devastating injuries when a car crashes into a motorcyclist.

If you ride a motorcycle, we’d love to hear your opinion and what you’ve experienced.